High expectations for Liverpool new boy Yesil... nicknamed Gerd after German legend

Liverpool have handed new signing Samed Yesil a four-year contract and have every reason to expect great things from the teenage marksman after it emerged he has already been likened to one of Germany’s greatest ever strikers.

After he won the silver shoe award, with six goals, at last year’s under-17 World Cup, the 18-year old was given the nickname Gerd by his admiring Germany team-mates.

It was a reference to Germany’s prolific finisher from the 60s and 70s, Gerd Muller, and it was picked up by the rest of Bayer Leverkusen’s squad when he returned to Bundesliga duties.

Hotshot: Yesil banged in six goals at the U17 World Cup

Turkish-born and sharing the same agent as recent Liverpool signing Nuri Sahin, Yesil is eager to make his mark at Anfield but could yet return to Leverkusen, according to sources at the Bay Arena.

They claim Leverkusen only agreed to the sale on the condition Yesil’s contract contained a clause, enabling the Bundesliga club to buy him back for the same 1.3million euros Liverpool paid for him.

Leverkusen will now monitor how ‘Gerd’ develops at Anfield, sporting director Rudi Voller saying: ‘He is a really big talent, but he is still young and is not yet ready to dislodge Stefan Kiessling from our starting line-up.’